


Violent Games

by LoseMyAngels (obsessivefangirl)



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Hungerlock, I dunno what else to tag this with... hmmm, M/M, there will be blood and killing and yeah
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-14
Updated: 2014-04-17
Packaged: 2017-12-26 13:58:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/966740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obsessivefangirl/pseuds/LoseMyAngels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hunger Games!AU MorMor. </p><p>Sebastian used to think the rules were simple, you either won or you died. But after meeting a strange dark haired boy, Sebastian is no longer so sure of what winning exactly means. Or what losing means.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tributes Parade

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfiction was beta'd by the lovely Mayhem Bee (sherlockgetsboredeasily.tumblr.com)

The roar of the crowd surrounded him, drowning out the sound of his heart as it slammed against his ribcage, adrenalin surging through his veins. But it wasn’t panic that was quickening his pulse. It was excitement, rich and undiluted. A massive grin was stretched across his chapped lips as Sebastian looked out across the crowd of bizarre, multi-coloured faces. He knew that each cheer was for _him_.

But beneath the manufactured joy that was drowning out his senses, Sebastian, aged eighteen, knew that he looked ridiculous. His stylist had decided to go down the traditional, but hardly inventive route of painting each of the district two tributes in a fine mist of golden paint, his muscled chest glimmering in the artificial light shining down from the diamond shaped chandeliers that were embedded in the walls of the tributes parade room. The only article of clothing that he was wearing was a small gladiator skirt to cover his more delicate parts from the viewers at home and the ones screaming his name in the arena.

He was an obvious favourite of the blood-thirsty Capital spectators; what with his career training and ruthless expression as he glowered across at them, his power clear in the tense muscles lying taut under his golden skin-- which would have been tanned without the paint clinging to it.

He couldn’t help but feel like a piece of meat though, born and trained for the sole purpose of bringing his father and his district honour by winning the Hunger Games -- or dying trying; he was sure that Augustus Moran wouldn’t mind too much either way. Really though, he supposed he shouldn’t feel too bad for himself; he’d had a fine upbringing, having been brought up in a very rich family who were lapdogs to the Capital’s government. It was the other kids in the parade that he should feel bad for, they were the ones who didn’t stand a chance. Looking around, he saw several competitors he’d have to watch out for; his fellow Tribute, Harvey, being the most blatantly obvious. Everyone else was just collateral damage. Most of these kids wouldn’t make it through the first night, Sebastian thought to himself with a slight smirk. This would be easy, he had the training. He just needed to stop over-thinking things.

President Snow’s eyes settled on him as the chariots pulled to a jolting stop and Sebastian grinned back, baring his teeth aggressively in a way that he just knew would make the crowd roar in appreciation.

Suddenly, the sound of the chattering crowd started to die away, their voices drifting off as they too turned their eyes to the President, who was standing tall, his aged face lined with the memories of frowns. Sebastian often thought that wrinkles told a story of the person’s life. His history teacher had been a small woman, her face as wrinkled as a raisin, but the blond boy had always thought that she’d aged beautifully. Her lines told a story of happiness; the ones around her mouth and the creases at the corners of her soft eyes carved out from a thousand smiles.

President Snow had a face like his father’s, cold and impassive.

”Welcome, Tributes!” Came the booming voice of the President, filling up the procession hall and cutting through the momentary silence.

Sebastian watched him warily, not daring to glance away throughout the entire speech. The rest of the room was held captive by the old man’s words, just as much as the blond was, except for one small, dark haired boy, who was looking across at the tributes with a curious expression on his face.

“We welcome all of you! We’d like to thank you for your bravery, and for your sacrifice. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favour.” He finished with a small smile that didn’t reach his dead, grey eyes as they ran over each of the tributes coldly, like he was picking what to eat next.

Sebastian shifted slightly, trying to keep up his persona even though really he did feel awful. The paint in his hair was starting to congeal and felt horribly sticky, and his lips tasted like the foul paint they’d been slathered in.

Licking his lips he glanced around at the tributes around him, taking in their costumes with equal amounts of awe and amusement-- depending on the stylist --before his gaze met the dark eyes of the district three boy, and his breath caught in his throat. None of the other Careers scared him in the slightest; he knew their strengths and weaknesses. But this strange, petite little boy looked deadly and unpredictable. His dark eyes held an edge of beautiful cruelty. Shaking his head and forcing himself to look away, Sebastian stared back out at the throng of people watching them.

He couldn’t focus on some runt. This was his game. And no one was going to distract him.

Then the crowd roared, getting louder and louder as the tributes turned back and made their way out of the hall, still smiling and waving across at the crowd full of people eager for them to die. Sebastian looked around as his chariot gradually made its way back to the entrance, smiling as he caught sight of the way practically all the women and quite a few men were drooling at him. Playing it up, he winked across at some of the extremely rich looking women, sending the crowd a flirtatious smile.

The crowd screamed in excitement as Sebastian played along, people in brightly coloured dresses yelling to catch the handsome Career’s attention. And Sebastian made sure to pay attention to each of them.

He knew how to play these games. He knew that winning was about more than just brutal strength. It was about becoming the Capitol’s favourite. Ultimately the Games Makers chose who won after all. No one could kill as effectively as they could, creating massive earthquakes with just a press of a button.

Glancing around as he approached the doors leading out of the parade hall, Sebastian raised his fist up in the air, howling like an animal. Harvey scowled and followed his lead. But as soon as the great metal doors slammed closed behind them she jabbed him sharply in the side, chastising him for not following the plan their mentor had set out for them.

Raising an eyebrow and not daring to respond to her with the playful smile that he wanted to, Sebastian merely strode off the chariot and walked straight over to their mentors.

The next couple of minutes went past in a blur, Sebastian’s attention focused entirely on the advice the trained killer was spitting across at them with a furious passion burning in his eyes. Rumour had it that Marcus was only still mentoring the tributes because he missed the thrill of the games, and looking at the fanatical brute of a man now, Sebastian didn’t find that hard to believe.

He wondered if he’d become like that after he won. Honestly, Sebastian hadn’t put much thought into his future past the games, what he would do after he’d done all he’d trained to do. There was nothing he wanted to do with his life, nothing he could do, but kill.

Pushing those thoughts away with a grimace, Sebastian glanced around the room once more, smirking at how pitiful most of the trembling tributes looked. He was yet again caught by the dark eyes of the district three boy and this time Sebastian speared him with a menacing glare.

There was no way to deny the uncomfortable twisting his stomach Sebastian felt as he turned away though, blindly following his mentor and escort up to their room on the second floor.


	2. Training

That afternoon passed by uneventfully. They ate, being sure to focus on nutritionally healthy foods and protein filled meats, discussed tactics, analysed the other tribute’s behaviour, and then finally went to bed.

The next day, however, was filled with action. Sebastian and Harvey had been told to watch the other tributes intently during training period, picking out their skills and weaknesses. And that was exactly what they did when they came striding into the training room the next morning.

Harvey’s dark auburn hair was tied back in a painfully tight pony tail and her hands clenched as she glanced over at Sebastian with a sickening smile. There was something soft in her eyes though, a comradeship that only Sebastian could recognise after years of training alongside her, so he returned her smile, revealing his sharp teeth.

He walked over to the weapons table, and as Sebastian held up a mace he kept an arrogant expression on his face. Twisting it over in his hands, loving the solid weight of the wood, Sebastian glanced over at the district one girl, watching as she lunged forwards at the training instructor she was fighting with. Then his eyes immediately darted around, trying to pick others out of the crowd. Somehow he found himself looking at the small dark haired runt again and Sebastian scowled at himself. He wasn’t supposed to be getting distracted. Someone that small wasn’t competition.

Only, something deep inside Sebastian’s gut was telling him that Jim Moriarty wasn’t to be overlooked. Trying to justify his staring as purely professional despite the fact he knew he was lying to himself, Sebastian watched the way that the small boy darted between the fake traps set before him, easily avoiding each.

Then he watched as he moved over to the poisonous plants section, then the fire building segment, then the--

The harsh touch of someone grabbing his shoulder pulled Sebastian abruptly out of his daze and he turned to glare at Harvey, his defences immediately up against her as the hot flush of embarrassment at being caught staring so blatantly at another boy surged through him.

He hoped that no one else had noticed. Eyes darting about nervously, Sebastian noted with a sigh of relief that everyone was too busy focusing on their own survival to notice his slip.

Only out of the corner of his eye did he catch Jim looking back at him over his shoulder, a knowing smirk on his lips.

Shaking away another feeling of uneasiness, Sebastian immediately went back to training. He swung the mace with practiced grace, slamming the sharp spikes into the dummy’s body with an expression of fierce concentration on his face. Then he did it again, watching as the spikes embedded into the fake blue flesh. Tensing his arms, he forced the mace back again and then struck down into the dummy. Over and over and over.

Eventually they were called into the centre by a tall, thin woman with an expressionless face, who looked over each of them with the same apathy as they surrounded her in a large circle. There was no sympathy in her eyes.

She droned on about different skills, about the importance of survival and the bloody truth of battle, and Sebastian ignored her with a roll of his eyes. He didn’t need this talk. He’d already heard it every day since his fifth birthday.

Instead he focused his attention on unnerving his competitors. There was no point trying with the Careers, but he still allowed his eyes to drag slowly along all the other tributes, his mouth set in a tight smirk. His glare screamed aggression, his body tensed to show his powerful muscles. Each tribute evaded his gaze, shifting away to look at the floor with a flinch. Except for Jim.

The dark haired boy’s lips curved upwards into a broad smile, his light brown eyes flickering down Sebastian’s body slowly with a power hungry expression, before Jim finally looked back up to note that Sebastian was no longer smiling.

Breaking away from the circle as soon as was physically possible, Sebastian hurried over to the weapons table again. He knew that he was supposed to be with Harvey, training over at the survival station, but he needed to do something that he was good at. He needed to wrap his hands around a weapon to remind himself that he didn’t need to feel so on edge when Jim, of all people, looked at him.

But Jim, of course, had to come and stand beside him.

Sebastian resolutely ignored him, honing his attention in on the table of blades lined out before him. Running his hands over the blades before him almost reverently, he bided his time as he watched Jim out of the corner of his eye.

The young boy was failing miserably at mastering the use of the heavy sword in his hands. Making a noise of annoyance as the weight grew too great and he dropped the sword down with a loud metallic bang, Jim leaned over to pick up several lighter blades. As he looked over them his brown eyes held the same adoration that Sebastian’s did.

“Why are you even bothering, runt? You’ll be dead within the first minute, I’ll make sure of it. So I suggest that you go practice at a station that’ll actually be of some use, before I use you as target practice instead of that dummy.” Sebastian said with a cruel smile, his eyes hard as he picked up a curved blade and took a menacing step closer to the tiny boy.

For a second there was silence, Jim slowly tilting his head to the side as his eyes flickered down to the knife with amusement in his eyes. Then Jim was laughing, the sound curt and wrong and utterly devoid of any joy. It was a bitter sound that made Sebastian’s hand tightened around the blade he was holding.

“Do you really think that threatening me will get you far, Golden Boy?” Jim asked, clearly not wanting an answer. “God, how stupid you must be. I can’t imagine what it’d be like to live inside that tiny brain of yours, relying on big muscles and a swollen ego to carry me through my days.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Sebastian asked through gritted teeth. “I could tear you apart in a second and I’m not fucking stupid, you runt.”

“Oh, I’d like to see you try.” Jim drawled, fiddling absentmindedly with the knife in his hands.

“And you will. In the arena. So watch out.”

Yet another laugh. The sound grated at Sebastian’s already thin self-control.

“You’re simply adorable. But I did warn you that threatening me wouldn’t get you far, didn’t I? So I suggest you stop, darling, before I rip that pretty tongue of yours out.” Jim said coldly, pausing for a second with a frown before he smiled and shook his head, his expression switching to a lighter teasing one. “Which I’d really rather not do. Especially since I can think of so many delicious things we could do if you kept your tongue.”

Then, while Sebastian was still searching for his words, his mouth gaping open in shock at Jim’s audacity, the dark haired boy and turned to walk away.

Sebastian’s eyes were fixed on the way that his hips swayed ever so slightly as he was walking and with a scowl, he twisted, throwing the blade he was holding straight into the dummy’s heart.


	3. Chapter 3

The next three days passed by uneventfully. Sebastian and Harvey went from station to station, chatting with the other Career tributes and pointedly sneering at the other tributes’ attempts to defend themselves. Over those three days Sebastian noticed Jim rather more often than he’d like to admit and Harvey, of course, noticed.

The Gamesmakers, dressed in fine purple robes, were present every day. They perched like vultures above the training ground and watched all the tributes with a fierce gaze, silently judging them. Every now and then they would call up a trainer to discuss with them, and more often than not when Sebastian looked up their eyes would be on him.

On the third day of training, the tributes were called out one by one for their private training sessions. Sebastian would have loved to stay behind to watch the tributes’ looks of fear as they were picked, but being district two he was selected to go in and see them almost immediately.

As Sebastian was called on he turned to grin at Harvey, who simply raised an eyebrow at him and smirked, before he walked calmly out of the room. His steps were steady, confident and unhurried, unlike the fumbling clatter that he was sure would follow him as they called on the weaker tributes.

Setting his shoulders back as he pushed open the door to the gymnasium, Sebastian immediately glanced up to stare into the interested eyes of the Gamesmakers feasting from above. Even the fine food before them wasn’t enough to distract them from the powerful presence that the blond held as he swaggered over to the centre of the room and grabbed the knives.

He made a show of throwing them from different angles, twisting and contorting his body, his gaze sharp as each blade found its target in the dummies heart. There were a few approving hums from the Gamesmakers watching from above and Sebastian felt his heart lift as what little worry was gnawing away at him corroded.

He was powerful. He was unbeatable. He would win.

Baring his teeth, Sebastian continued in a blur, moving from weapon to weapon with deadly speed and murderous accuracy. When he finally stilled before the archery stand, his breath was heavy with exertion and his bright blue eyes were wild with excitement. He reached forwards, grinning menacingly as his hands closed around the body of the bow and brought it to his chest with the arrows.

The Gamesmakers were waiting with sick smiles on their faces as they watched the Career pick up such a cowardly weapon. Their expressions didn’t change, not even a flicker of surprise, as Sebastian once again hit each dummy in the heart within a matter of seconds.

Feeling elation charge through him, Sebastian put the bow down and bowed to the Gamesmakers before he left, his stride strong and totally in control.

Although he hadn’t exactly been worrying before he entered the room, it was still nice to get it over with. Years and years of training had led up to this point, stressing its importance, and it felt amazing to know that he’d finally proven himself to them.

Now he just had to prove himself to the entirety of Panem. Great.

As he walked over to the elevator Harvey strode past him and Sebastian sent her a warm smile, wishing her the best of luck.

Part of him wished that she hadn’t been picked at all; he knew it was weak but he didn’t want to have to deal with seeing her die. And he was too selfish to let her win.

 

\------------------------------------------------------

 

Sebastian went straight up to his room, utterly ignoring his mentor who was waiting on the sofa, and slammed the door shut behind him. He just needed five minutes to himself. He could deal with going back downstairs and putting on his battle face just as soon as Harvey was back; he didn’t want to deal with his bloodthirsty mentor all on his own today. So instead he washed his face with cold water, gasping and shaking his head before he dried it off with a rough rub of a towel that left his skin feeling reddened and sore.

For a long moment Sebastian just stood in front of the mirror, regarding himself harshly. His eyes skimmed along each inch of his face, judging himself, before he glanced down at his large hands. Hands for killing.

By the time he was finally ready to go downstairs and face them all again, everybody was waiting for him at the dining table. Despite the confidence and natural brutality that each of them tried to exude it was obvious to Sebastian that Harvey was feeling the pressure; her body tensed, her eyes glued to her food.

The scores were going to be televised that night. Neither of them could afford to get a score under ten. Nine would be acceptable, but humiliating. Anything less would be enough to turn off the support of their entire district.

For a while they talked about their training session. Harvey boasted about the way she’d made some of the Gamesmakers gasp when she, such a petite girl, had chucked one of the heaviest weights across the room.

Sebastian merely said that he did what he could and left it at that.

After dinner they went through to the sitting room to watch the scores being announced on the television. First they showed a photo of the tribute, then flashed their score below it.

When Sebastian’s face appeared with an eleven, Harvey clapped him on the back in congratulation and their mentor grunted in approval.

Then Harvey’s face appeared, looking fierce and taut with ten emblazoned in gold underneath, and she grinned in relief.

Then the next face was of the district three boy, Jim Moriarty, who’d steadily been worming his way into Sebastian’s mind. There was a moment of tension, the others oblivious to the way that Sebastian’s body had stilled as they continued to talk, and then finally the score was shown.

Ten.

Sebastian’s heart stopped, his blood running cold as he stared blankly at the screen in shock. How the hell had the runt done that?

Grabbing Harvey roughly by the arm, he forced her to turn and look. Her eyes narrowed as they fell on the number and then her expression crumbled. She’d been shown up by a worthless nobody from district three. They’d both been shown up.

After that the scores steadily declined, with one boy scoring a measly four, which they all had a good laugh over, making cruel mocking comments.

But when he went to bed that night, Sebastian wasn’t thinking over his victory, he was panicking. His mind was going over and over each conversation he’d had with Jim Moriarty and slowly he realised that he was scared.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day Sebastian hadn’t seen Jim at all. They’d been too busy preparing for the interviews the next day. But even as his eyebrows were plucked and Sebastian had to grit his teeth to stop himself from strangling the idiots, Jim was still on his mind.

Even while his mentor was grilling him on his interview technique and getting him to perfect his angle, Sebastian was still wondering about Jim. He wondered how the smaller boy would dress, how he would act, what he would say. And the fact that the little worm was distracting him was infuriating, leaving Sebastian even closer to the edge than usual, snapping at anyone who dared to even look at him.

When the day of the interview finally came the tension was so thick that none of the tributes could bring themselves to talk, choked by the massive task laying before them. Obnoxiously loud jaunty music filled the air of the waiting room, blaring out from the television, and on the screen bright lights flashed behind a small, deeply tanned man with bright green hair. Drops of colour danced in the background, falling down until they took the shape of Caesar’s laughing face.

Sebastian waited impatiently in the back room, near the front of the line of tributes. His bright blue eyes scraped over the figure of each tribute, lingering for a moment too long on Jim; who had the audacity to wink back at him. Scowling, he looked away, his hands clenched into fists, his finger nails digging into his coarse palms.

Everyone was dressed to accentuate their different features. Harvey was wearing a tight fitting little dress that made her seem far older than her years and made her breasts jump out of the top against the golden band in a way that Sebastian couldn’t help but notice. He himself was wearing a tight fitting black shirt to show off his muscular torso and a bright gold tie, along with some slightly looser black suit trousers. He didn’t feel quite as stupid as he had at the tribute parade, and he twisted his hands in front of himself.

He watched the other tributes going up before him and smiling out across at the crowd with bated breath. And then it was his turn. He grinned to himself as he bounded up onto the stage. As he sat down Caesar smiled across at him, “You look very confident.” He noted, offering Sebastian his hand.

Sebastian nodded, “Oh yeah, I’m confident. I’m ready for this.” He replied with an easy smile, turning to the audience as he took the elder man’s hand firmly in his own.

He was ready. He had to be.

 

”So, you’ve gotten a lot of attention for your impressive looks, from both women and men.” Ceaser said with a smirk, leaving a dramatic pause for the crowd to whoop excitedly in agreement. “Do you have a special someone back home, or a preference in romance?”

Sebastian laughed. He’d been expecting this question and he had of course been trained in how to respond during the interview, along with his usual training on how to kill.

Glancing over at the camera with a wicked expression before looking back to Caesar, Sebastian licked his lips provocatively. “No… I have no one waiting for me back home.” He said, his voice holding just the right level of remorse to suggest that he very much wanted a relationship; leaving the Capital audience’s minds perfectly open for whatever dirty fantasy they conjured up.

“As for my preferences… well, that is an extremely personal question, Caesar.” He said, pausing. “I suppose that I really prefer someone who isn’t afraid to be themselves, no matter how loud or quiet that is. I need someone who can hold their own, and yet at the same time… I do like to think I could protect and care for them, if they’d let me.” He replied openly, hoping that he’d given a broad enough description to fit most people, as his mentor had told him too.

The crowd broke out in glee, both women and men flushing. Although, several of the brightly coloured men sitting beside some of the more enthusiastic women were looking rather annoyed.

Then they talked for another half a minute and then the buzzer went off, at which point Sebastian stood up with Caesar, his hand raised above his head and stared confidently out at the crowd with a slight smirk before walking back off of the stage.

The two district two careers stayed behind to watch the rest of the contestants coming up onto the stage for some background research on their competitors. Next of course, was Jim. Sebastian looked up, his eyes wide and attentive, his back straight.

Sebastian watched on the television screen as Jim leaned back comfortably into the chair next to Caesar, with a regal expression his face his, his high eyebrows arched elegantly as he looked coolly over the audience.

“So you’re the dark horse of the competition, aren’t you, Jim?” Caesar started off, his tone clearly impressed as he looked across at the audience, who were nodding in agreement. “Your score of ten has shocked the Capital and likely all of the other tributes too. With a score like that you could give anyone a run for their money!”

Sebastian’s jaw clenched and Harvey glanced away, her cheeks tinged with embarrassment as Jim laughed and started to agree, boasting over his fantastic score.

“So… I’m sure that the audience is eager to know if you have a special someone waiting for you back in district three.” Caesar said, leading into the same question he asked all the Capital’s favourites.

“Oh no.” Jim said bluntly, shaking his head. “No one back in my district interests me. In fact, the only person to have ever caught my eye happens to be in these games himself.” He added with a wink, as the audience, much to Sebastian’s reluctant amusement, gasped.

The rest of the interview was the same. Caesar and the audience practically bowing to Jim, while the dark haired little devil merely smiled knowingly and replied cryptically.

Right up until the end.

Jim looked the camera straight down the lens, staring directly at Sebastian, as he smirked. “I’m going to win. I will tear apart anyone who gets in my way, no matter who they are. So you better start running, dears.”

By the time that the buzzer for Jim finally went Sebastian was feeling sick. He just wanted to tear that malicious little grin right off of the other boy’s damned lips.

As Jim waltzed off the stage, walking straight past Sebastian on his way back to the room, Sebastian reached out and grabbed his thin arm. His fingers easily wrapped around him and Sebastian momentarily contemplated how easy it would be to break the dark haired devil right here, right now. Only his desire to win kept his very frail patience in tact.

“If you think for one moment that a good training score will keep you safe then you’re wrong, runt.” Sebastian snarled. “I’ll make sure that the Careers kill you first in the bloodbath. All you’ve done is made yourself into a target.”

There was a curt laugh from Jim as he tugged his arm loose and then only the sound of the other boy’s shoes clapping against the hard floor as he walked away, not bothering to reply.

Although he knew that he should stay it took no longer than a second before Sebastian was hurrying after Jim, following him through into an empty corridor before he cornered the small boy. He grabbed Jim’s arm, spinning him around. Then, with a loud bang, the sound of Jim’s back cracking against the stone wall, he pressed himself hard against the smaller boy.

“Don’t fucking laugh at me!” He growled, tightening his grip and pressing his forearm against Jim’s windpipe. “I’m going to fucking kill you! I’ll tear you apart! You pathetic little kid!”

“Oh… Sebastian… You have such a temper.” Jim teased, choking slightly as he writhed against the taller boy’s grip in vain. “It’s kind of sexy.”

“Shut up.” Sebastian warned, hating how his eyes flickered down to Jim’s lips instinctively at those words. “Shut the fuck up, you moron. Shut up or I’ll kill you.”

There was a long sigh. Which quite frankly sounded ridiculous, the sound fractured by Jim’s lack of breath. “You’re so lucky that you’re pretty, Moran. You really aren’t that smart, are you?” He paused, cocking his head to the side as Sebastian’s grip tightened.

Honestly, Sebastian had no idea what Jim was talking about and he had to admit that with those piercing brown eyes fixed on him, he did in fact feel rather foolish. Not that he was going to admit that.

“What the fuck do you want?” He asked after a moment, his voice harsh and demanding.

“Well, darling…” Jim drawled, leaning up closer and closer until their lips were just inches apart. Taking in a ragged breath Sebastian glanced down, watching as Jim drew his tongue smoothly over his own pale pink lips. “I want you.”


	5. Let the Games begin

That night Sebastian didn’t sleep as well as he’d thought he would. Where he should have felt confident he just felt insecure, his dreams plagued by Jim Moriarty. Those words playing over and over in his mind. I want you.

Groaning Sebastian opened his eyes slowly, letting himself adjust to the light falling through the large open with windows as he squinted in dazed pain. He gradually became aware of the world around himself, sighing before he stretched his limbs and let out a muffled yawn, pushing the covers away from his chest as he relished the feeling of peeling away the soft material from his hot skin. Then when his mind finally caught up with his body he sat up and blinked blearily.

With a yawn he looked around his room, groaning again as he realized just where he was and it suddenly dawned on him that today was the day of the arena. He wasn’t exactly ecstatic about everything, especially after talking to Jim the night before. Frowning slightly he stood up, wearing only his boxers and padded over to the other side of the room to get dressed. He pulled off his boxers, shrugging them across the room before picking out a new pair and finding a loose fitting T-shirt and pair trousers. It didn’t really matter what he wore, they’d be changed soon enough and then they’d be in the arena. Fashion wasn’t exactly at the top of his priorities.

Looking a complete mess, his hair ruffled, his gaze sharpened by a resolute need for control, Sebastian strode through into the dining room to eat breakfast. His strides were long and powerful, his jaw taunt, and for once Harvey looked up at him with a smile. The mood in the room was one of anticipation and excitement, his mentor and the escort chattering away to each other with a feverish passion. Harvey was feasting on the fruit and meats filling his plate. The grave worry hidden deep in his heart felt foolish when he sat with his team.

It didn’t matter what Moriarty said. It didn’t matter what score the little runt got either. He was on his own and they were going to hunt him down.

They had nothing to fear from him.

So he forced Jim out of his mind, finally, and allowed himself the pleasure of relishing the bloodlust pumping through his veins.

It wasn’t long before they were done eating and their escort was busy hurrying them off to go see their stylists, chattering away to the two of them about all the sponsors they already had.

Sending her a short unpleasant smile as he finally arrived to see his stylist, Sebastian pressed the button to shut the heavy metal door behind him. He watched with ice eyes as the escort turned on his heels and walked off.

“Oh you look like hell, darling!” Cried the stylist, Penelope, as he finally turned room to face her. “Couldn’t you at least pick up a brush before leaving this morning? The whole nation’s going to see you…. Whatever will they think?”

Rolling his eyes at her inane chattering, Sebastian shrugged off his shirt and walked over to put on the suit they were provided with. He tested the material with his fingers, raising an eyebrow at the thin texture.

“Honestly I think they’ll be more concern with my kill count than whether or not my hair is perfectly in place.” He replied bluntly.

“Perhaps but that’s no excuse for poor personal care.” Penelope replied briskly, fluttering her long false pink eyelashes before she beckoned him over with unnaturally long nails. Pink as well, of course.

He came over and let her brush his hair, ignoring the way that she tugged too harshly at his scalp. His gaze grew distance as he started to think things over.

There was a chance he’d die in these, Sebastian thought with a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Even though he knew that he had nothing to be nervous about his heart was still pounding in his chest, slamming up against his rib cage as he choked on his own stuttered breathes. He was lucky to have no one there but his stylist to witness his momentary weakness. She  gave him a strange look before smiling broadly.

“You’ll be fine, boy. You’re a natural born killer.” She said comfortingly, running her hands over his shoulders. Her nails clipped against the fabric of the suit. Her eyes were light as she led him up to the little circular disc that he was to wait on before they slowly rose him to the arena.

He stood still for a second, closing his eyes as he forced himself to drown his worries in pure murderous desire. That was when the countdown started. He felt the disc moving underneath him and he opened his eyes, baring his teeth aggressively as the sun licked at his back and he was bared to the other tributes.

The countdown continued. Seeming to last forever. His eyes flicked around the circle of tributes and then into the center of the cornucopia. Almost everything in that would end up belonging to the Careers. The food. The supplies. The weapons.

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

He took a deep breath, feeling his blood surging and excitement coursing through him. He’d spent his entire life training for this. It was going to be fantastic.

Seven.

Six.

His eyes skipped over the supplies. A bow glinted in the full sun over head, it’s edge silver and black. Hidden at the very heart of the golden cavern was a pill of food. Knives littered the floor leading up to it. A few backpacks to lure in the weaker of the pack.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Looking over at the mountainous area over on his right, Sebastian wondered what dangers the Capital had hidden between the trees. There would likely be mutts lurking in this serene environment. All of this beauty would be false, hiding hungry teeth.

Two.

One.

Sebastian started running as soon as the cannon sounded, his vision sharp and clear as adrenalin pumped through him, giving him extra strength and making him feel more alive than ever before.


	6. Chapter 6

The laugh that slipped from between Sebastian’s chapped lips was wild. Free. His gaze darted from tribute to tribute, marking his prey as he ran forwards to grab a pretty set of knives. Short blades. Practical.

Out of the corner of his eye Sebastian spotted a young girl running. Her feet pounded uselessly into the earth as she stumbled forwards, and teeth bared Sebastian deftly chucked a blade into her back, catching her just below the shoulder. She fell to the ground with a strangled scream as crimson started to spill out across the damp green grass.

Before he could even run forward to finish her off, Harvey was twisting around, slicing through her neck. Irritated, he shot the auburn haired girl a sharp glare and turned back. He needed to kill again, and again and again. To pull each tribute’s final breath from their lips. To know that when he held a knife he was God.

This was what he was hardwired to do and it just felt so natural, so right.

The sound of short laboured breathing came from behind him. Acting on instinct, Sebastian ducked out of the way of a lanky looking boy as he clumsily tried to hit him with a long blade. The poor bastard couldn’t even hold it up properly, Sebastian thought to himself with an amused chuckle as he twisted around to stab the boy in the stomach with enough force to drench the handle in blood.

He stood up and kicked the boy in the face before he pulled the blade out and quickly slashed across his throat.

Stabbing one girl as she darted past, desperately trying to get a backpack before running away, Sebastian looked quickly around for the rest of the Careers. All of this had taken merely seconds. His allies were still fresh in the heat of the kill. Dead bodies littered the ground, lying awkwardly with warped limbs as they stared blankly up at the pristine blue sky.

A black shadow caught the edge of his vision. Jim. Darting back into the forest. Forcing his gaze away, Sebastian promised himself they’d get him next. Later. Soon.

By now the only people left where the dead bodies and the Careers, standing around the shining cornucopia. They all picked up as much of the supplies which came tumbling out of the cornucopia as they could. There was no immediate danger for now, but that could all change at any time. Especially with Jim Moriarty lurking somewhere in those forests.

Sebastian glanced around at the bodies scattered across the field. Not bad. Only eight kills  in total, he noted as he watched the writhing figure of a girl lying on the floor slowly go still. He waited a second and the cannon went off. Eight kills. Sixteen tributes left. Six of which were Careers. The rest just waiting targets.

“Felicity, Daemon and I will go to find somewhere to set up camp.” Harvey said, immediately taking control as she leaned down to arm herself, grabbing an assortment of weapons. “Sebastian, Jessikah, and Ronak you’ll stay behind and guard the supplies. If you see anyone, kill them- obviously.”

The other Careers walked off and Sebastian was left to watch over the supplies as the sun slowly committed suicide, bleeding pinks and oranges across the waiting sky. He slumped back with a sigh, already bored.

A long while later he heard a cannon. Humming in thought, Sebastian wondered if they’d maybe stabbed a tribute and let it get away, only to bleed out later. Or maybe the other Careers had stumbled across an unwitting tribute on their search. Or perhaps the other competitors was trying their hand at murder too. Jim.

Feeling uneasy, yet entirely comfortable, Sebastian waited patiently, guarding the large pile of foods, weapons and supplies. He felt utterly useless. No one would dare come back to the cornucopia right now, not when they knew that the Careers would be waiting for them. His hands itched, clenched tight around the blade of a large knife.

The next half an hour passed uneventfully, or at least that was what Sebastian thought the time was- it was hard to tell without watches. Then he heard the soft crack of twigs under the weight of boots and he turned around quickly, alert and ready to kill whatever come his way. Out of the forest slipped Harvey, Felicity and Daemon. Each walked in deadly silence.

"Find a place?" He asked to which they nodded and then grabbed a whole load of supplies.

“So was someone stupid enough to try stealing a few supplies?” Felicity asked, in her usual high voice.

“No.” Sebastian replied dully with a shrug. “Of course not. You’d have to have a death wish to do that.”

“Huh.” Harvey said with a frown, arms crossed over her chest. “Just assumed that cannon was you lot.”

Looking up with deft blue eyes, Sebastian sat up and shrugged. So it wasn’t them. “Doesn’t matter. Just means there’s one less kid for us to kill later.” He replied coldly, lips pressed tightly together.

It was agreed that they’d all take it in turn to carry supplies between the new camp and the cornucopia and within a half hour almost the entirety of the bounty had been taken by the careers.

Letting out a whoop of triumph, the group of killers set up a fire and gathered around to sit on the floor. Their faces lit up by the orange flickers. There was nothing left to do. Biting his lip, Sebastian stared into the flames broodingly. His thoughts were already travelling back to Jim.

What would Jim do? He honestly had no idea.

The runt would probably find some way to trick them all and steal the supplies somehow.

Scowling, Sebastian twisted around. “We need some way to protect the supplies.” He said, sounding irritated. “I don’t know maybe traps or something.”

Everyone sat up, looking surprised by the suggestion. That wasn’t how the Careers fought, they didn’t hide behind tricks… they fought recklessly, to the death. But after a short discussion Sebastian managed to convince them to set up a make shift trap of intricately set up snares.

Another cannon.

Odd.

They ignored it though as they finished setting up. Yet it kept tugging at the back of Sebastian’s mind. There was no way that was some kid they’d left for dead earlier. That was another tribute, already out killing.

Acting as though it wasn’t even concerning him, Sebastian stood up with a shark like grin. His ice blue eyes were keen and eager. It was time for the hunt.

Leaving two Careers back at the tent they’d set up to guard the supplies Sebastian, Harvey, Daemon and Ronak set off to find whoever they could. The first nights weren’t about tactics. They were about killing. It was only at the end when the Careers all split up that they had to start to try to outwit each other.

Hearing a twig snap they all glanced around, chatting loudly to each other in the deliberate ploy to show off their confidence. Sebastian saw a flash of black going through the trees and he quickly followed, the others at his tail.

Teeth bared. Blood surging through his veins, Sebastian raced forwards. His feet slammed down into the muddied earth below him. The other Careers fell behind him, his raw determination to catch the black blur cutting through the burn in his lungs.

Eyes narrowed he caught sight of Jim. Finally.

Glancing back, he wished that the other Careers would just vanish. He wanted Jim for his own.

“We’ll split up.” He shouted back, directing Harvey and Daemon in the other direction. Ronak ran along with him, struggling to catch up.

Jaw clenched, Sebastian spotted Jim. And possessiveness rushed through him. Jim was his kill.

Drawing his blade Sebastian turned and stabbed Ronak in the gut. A short choked sound gurgled out of the elder boy’s lips, his dark brown eyes widened in shock as he stared across at his ally. Furious.

Reacting quickly as the furious Career lashed out, blood bubbling up out of his mouth, Sebastian darted out of the way of a hard punch. Moving around the back he covered Ronak’s mouth with his large calloused hands and then stabbed him again. Before throwing the baby onto the ground with a cold dispassionate expression.

Now to find his kill.

He’d enjoy murdering Jim Moriarty. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to comment and tell me what you think :) It makes me feel all happy and warm inside :)


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